Library unveils new logoThe Pope County Library System (PCLS) unveiled its new logo on Oct. 16 at the Russellville City Hall. Local author and Arkansas Tech University graduate Aaron Slade helped PCLS reveal its new logo, which took nearly a year to plan. Director Shawn Pierce said the PCLS started working on a mission and vision for the library in January. "The logo was a natural progression to freshen up the face of the library system," Pierce said. The new logo fe...

Dardanelle man arrested in child porn investigationDARDANELLE — Agents with the Cyber Crimes Unit of the Arkansas Attorney General's Office arrested a Yell County man on suspicion of child pornography. Ronnie Ponder, 28, was arrested Tuesday after the Cyber Crimes Unit executed a search warrant at his residence in the 100 block of Maple Street in Dardanelle, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said in a news release. "Investigators confiscated a desktop computer, a laptop, an external hard drive,...

Local venues for Halloween activitiesSeveral local groups will host Halloween events as a safe way to allow children to trick-or-treat this Halloween. The 17th annual Kids Fest Halloween event is presented by the Russellville Recreation and Parks Department at the Hughes Center, located at 1000 E. Parkway Drive. The event will be from 5-8 p.m. Friday and is free to all children. Hughes Center Administrative Assistant Kelli Nealy said the event will feature many games for the chil...

Court upholds suit's dismissal in Dirksmeyer caseLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A federal appeals court has upheld the dismissal of a civil lawsuit that was filed by the boyfriend of a slain Arkansas beauty queen. Kevin Jones was initially charged and put on trial for the 2005 killing of his girlfriend, Nona Dirksmeyer. Jones was acquitted by a jury and another man was later charged, but not convicted, in the case. Jones sued Russellville police four years after his acquittal, claiming that officers con...

RHS students benefit from career fairRussellville High School (RHS) students were presented the opportunity to visit with more than 30 college, job and military recruiters during a career fair Tuesday. Recruiters were stationed in the high school's safe room for parents and future graduates to access after picking up report cards and speaking with teachers during parent/teacher conferences. Though only a junior, Atziri Cruz was at the event to hand out information about the Ameri...

Bond hearingsThe following individuals appeared during felony bond hearings Wednesday at the Pope County Detention Center. Their names, ages, anticipated charges and bond amounts are listed. If charged, they will appear Dec. 1 in Circuit Court. • Samuel Mosley, 43, failure to comply with sex offender registry — $7,500. During a compliance check earlier this month, investigators discovered Mosley failed to report he had changed jobs and failed to report he ...

Pottsville receives $50,000 in grantsPOTTSVILLE — The Pottsville City Council approved the transfer of $50,000 from the general fund to the parks fund during its regular meeting Monday. The city received two $25,000 grants from West Central Planning and Development. One grant came from the office of State Rep. Robert Dale and the other came from the office of State Sen. Michael Lamoureux. "I put in for two grants," Mayor Jerry Williams said, adding that one grant will be used to ...

More than 5,100 vote earlyMore than 5,100 Pope County residents voted early during the first eight days. The Pope County Election Commission reported on Tuesday that 5,174 people voted early between Oct. 20 and when the polls closed that day. The totals from Wednesday weren't available before press time, but Pope County Election Coordinator said the turnout was "very steady." "We've seen a lot of activity all day," she said. The early vote totals from 2010 — the last m...

News Briefs (Oct. 30, 2014)Jocko in concert at Eagles Eagles Aerie 3928 will host Jocko in concert from 6-9 p.m. today. Everyone is invited to attend, and admission is free. Eagles is located at 3016 E. 16th St. in Russellville. Free Art Friday The River Valley Arts Center will host Free Art Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at 1001 E. B St. in Russellville. The center invites all pre-school and school age children to come create a piece of art. Activities include col...

Lamar to support sisters with cancerLAMAR — Two sisters with cancer are receiving community support. A fundraiser from 4-8 p.m. on Saturday at the Lamar Community Building will help Debbie Shay and Pam Blasczyk stand up to cancer. Shay was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer in June, while Blasczyk was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in September. Lori Watson, the niece of Shay and Blasczyk, said the fundraiser is intended to help the family with the financial burde...

L&A testingPope County Election Commission support technician Lucas Moody performs a Logic and Accuracy testing Tuesday morning on corrected media for iVotronic machines that will be used on Nov. 4, Election Day. A public demonstration of the machines will be held at 2:30 p.m. today at the election headquarters. Early voting continues today from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Monday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Polls will ...

Saint Mary's conducts radiation drillSaint Mary’s Regional Medical Center is one of only two medical centers in the state equipped and prepared to decontaminate and treat an injured patient with radiation exposure. Every other year, Saint Mary’s partners with Entergy’s Arkansas Nuclear One (ANO) Emergency Planning in a fully functional radiation drill under the eyes of FEMA, the Arkansas Department of Health and ANO. Every aspect of the drill is critiqued, and every move is caref...

Campers rescue drunk man from riverDARDANELLE — A couple camping at Veterans Riverfront Memorial Park rescued a drunk man from the Arkansas River shortly before 6 a.m. on Oct. 22, according to a police report. The couple reported they had seen Josh Morton, 26, of Russellville driving a 2006 Chevrolet pick-up truck down the boat ramp at a high rate of speed and then slamming on the brakes, causing the truck to skid. The wife became concerned when she no longer saw Morton's truck...

Commission denies permit in split voteThe Russellville Planning Commission denied a special use permit submitted by Stephanie Gray that would have allowed an auto repair shop on property at 114 N. Elmira Ave. with a split vote during its regular meeting Monday. Prior to the 5-3 vote, City Planner David Harris said the property is located in a "mixed-use area," pointing out it is surrounded by businesses. "It has an auto sales lot next door, a shoe store to the south, manufacturing...

News Briefs (Oct. 29, 2014)Block Plains and Eastern Clean Line meeting Block Plains and Eastern Clean Line will be hosting a public information meeting about Clean Line’s planned high-voltage transmission project at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Dover High School Fine Arts Building. Doors open at 5:45 p.m. The meeting is free and open to the public. For more information, call (479) 331-2347. American Legion singing The American Legion Post 20 of Russellville country singing wi...

Intermodal seeks help with lawsuitThe River Valley Regional Intermodal Facilities Authority during its regular board meeting Tuesday approved paying a litigation support company — Global Legal Discovery, LLC — $9,226 to assist the intermodal with a lawsuit against it. "It was a little surprising when we got it," Chairman Roy Reaves said of the invoice. "Nevertheless, we didn't have a choice." Global Legal Discovery, LLC helped intermodal gather and print records to present to ...

Just Desserts raises $8,000To welcome the weekend, more than 200 guests attended the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton (UACCM) Foundations 12th annual Just Desserts fundraiser on Friday. Supporters helped raise more than $8,000 for the college at the event. “Our annual events are helping to raise funds and support for the new Workforce Training Center,” UACCM Development Officer Morgan Zimmerman said. “We are thankful to still have such a great turno...

Dardanelle receives academic awardUnder the direction of Principal Marcia Lawrence, Dardanelle High School (DHS) is continuing to receive recognition for exceptional academic achievement. Dardanelle was recently honored with the Outstanding Educational Performance Award, which was given by the Office for Educational Policy at the University of Arkansas. The award adds another honor to the high school's recognition as one of America's Best High Schools according to U.S. News an...

Dover Board of Education reorganizesThe Dover Board of Education reorganized as mandated by state law Thursday night during its first meeting after the recent run-off election, with each member assuming a special role. David Dale was named president; Tom Hill, vice-president; and Ed Whitted, board secretary. Outgoing board president Michael Robbins was appointed as district disbursing officer — tasked with providing signatures on school checks — and new member Angie Smith was ap...